1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fish retainers and more particularly pertains to a new fish retaining assembly for ice fishing for containing and retaining a fish being reeled in by an angler.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of fish retainers is known in the prior art. More specifically, fish retainers heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,872; U.S. Pat. No. 5,784,824; U.S. Pat. No. 3,722,940; U.S. Pat. No. 5,140,767; U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,220; and U.S. Des. Pat. No. 269,109.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new fish retaining assembly for ice fishing. The prior art includes tubular members being engaged in holes in the ice and having trap doors for trapping the fish in the tubular members.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new fish retaining assembly for ice fishing which has many of the advantages of the fish retainers mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new fish retaining assembly for ice fishing which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art fish retainers, either alone or in any combination thereof. The present invention includes an elongate tubular member having open top and bottom ends and a passageway extending therethrough and being adapted to be disposed through a hole in ice and being partially disposed in water; and also includes a support assembly including a belt being fastenable about the elongate tubular member, and also including support members being spacedly and hingedly attached to the belt for resting upon the ice and supporting the elongate tubular member in the hole in the ice; and further includes a trap door assembly including a trap door member being pivotally attached to a bottom of the elongate tubular member and being closable over the open bottom end, and also including a trap door moving member being attached to the trap door member for the opening and closing of the trap door member. None of the prior art includes the combination of the elements of the present invention.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the fish retaining assembly for ice fishing in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new fish retaining assembly for ice fishing which has many of the advantages of the fish retainers mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new fish retaining assembly for ice fishing which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art fish retainers, either alone or in any combination thereof.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new fish retaining assembly for ice fishing for containing and retaining a fish being reeled in by an angler.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new fish retaining assembly for ice fishing that is easy and convenient to set up and use.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new fish retaining assembly for ice fishing that prevents the fish from getting loose should the fishing line break as the angler is reeling in the fish.